"Forbidden Games", Rene Clement's masterpiece, is a magnificent document about the absurdity of war. This anti-war film has given a lot of pleasure to audiences since its release. The film juxtaposes the madness of the conflict during WWII to the innocence of a child who is caught in its web of death and destruction.
We are taken to the French countryside as people are leaving the madness behind in search of safer havens where the war would spare them of the tragedy the country was living during those days. Paulette, a girl who is fleeing with her parents has only one thing in mind, to stay with her beloved dog. As her pet gets loose, she runs across a bridge to rescue him when German aircraft strike killing her parents and her precious dog.
Paulette wanders deep in the country and is discovered by Michel Dolle, a farm boy a bit older than Paulette. These two will bond with one another in ways that only innocent children would. Michel feels protective of this orphan girl. The Dolle family are poor peasants that are eking a life out of their land during difficult times. They have quarreled with their neighbors, the Gouards. The Dolles accept gladly the stray girl who obviously comes from a different world than theirs.
The little girl, who wants to bury her dog, suddenly discovers death all around her. She finds in Michel a friend and an ally who will prove he is a true friend until the end. Michel, in turn, sees an opportunity to show Paulette his knowledge in the ways of the farm. When Michel's brother Georges die, both he and Paulette come face to face with a new reality they can't comprehend. Suddenly, their games take a new turn.
The little girl's fascination with crosses and tombs come to a head as they go to the village's cemetery to bury Georges. In the graveyard Paulette finds a treasure trove of the beloved objects all over the place and she and Michel must have them to mark the tombs of their dead animals, something a child's mind could ever conceive. The local priest and the two families are shocked by the discovery, when after all, in Paulette's mind it was a new kind of game in her new surroundings.
Rene Clement made an excellent job in this classic that will stay one of the most beloved pieces of film making of all times. Mr. Clement was extremely lucky in finding the luminous Brigitte Fossey to bring to life Paulette. Pairing this young non professional with Georges Poujouly, proved to be the right combination as the two children blend seamlessly together, complimenting each other throughout the picture. Brigitte Fossey, who was about five years old when the shooting took place, gives a performance that perhaps no other professional child actor has ever equaled.
The Criterion DVD transfer we watched shows how wonderfully they have preserved this film for future generations to enjoy.
We are taken to the French countryside as people are leaving the madness behind in search of safer havens where the war would spare them of the tragedy the country was living during those days. Paulette, a girl who is fleeing with her parents has only one thing in mind, to stay with her beloved dog. As her pet gets loose, she runs across a bridge to rescue him when German aircraft strike killing her parents and her precious dog.
Paulette wanders deep in the country and is discovered by Michel Dolle, a farm boy a bit older than Paulette. These two will bond with one another in ways that only innocent children would. Michel feels protective of this orphan girl. The Dolle family are poor peasants that are eking a life out of their land during difficult times. They have quarreled with their neighbors, the Gouards. The Dolles accept gladly the stray girl who obviously comes from a different world than theirs.
The little girl, who wants to bury her dog, suddenly discovers death all around her. She finds in Michel a friend and an ally who will prove he is a true friend until the end. Michel, in turn, sees an opportunity to show Paulette his knowledge in the ways of the farm. When Michel's brother Georges die, both he and Paulette come face to face with a new reality they can't comprehend. Suddenly, their games take a new turn.
The little girl's fascination with crosses and tombs come to a head as they go to the village's cemetery to bury Georges. In the graveyard Paulette finds a treasure trove of the beloved objects all over the place and she and Michel must have them to mark the tombs of their dead animals, something a child's mind could ever conceive. The local priest and the two families are shocked by the discovery, when after all, in Paulette's mind it was a new kind of game in her new surroundings.
Rene Clement made an excellent job in this classic that will stay one of the most beloved pieces of film making of all times. Mr. Clement was extremely lucky in finding the luminous Brigitte Fossey to bring to life Paulette. Pairing this young non professional with Georges Poujouly, proved to be the right combination as the two children blend seamlessly together, complimenting each other throughout the picture. Brigitte Fossey, who was about five years old when the shooting took place, gives a performance that perhaps no other professional child actor has ever equaled.
The Criterion DVD transfer we watched shows how wonderfully they have preserved this film for future generations to enjoy.